D 639 
.04 U5 
1920a 
Copy 1 



020 914 261 2 



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!j: l\,S>. UJtL-r oey-r, 

D 639 

.04 U5 

iQ'7(7ia Congress,) SENATE. ^Document 

^^^ , Session. | " 1 No. 253. 

Copy 1 =====_=^__=^^===^_^= 

-•^^^^ DISPOSAL AND PROTECTION OF REMAINS OF AMERICAN 
SOLDIERS WHO DIED IN FRANCE. 



LETTER 



THE SECRETARY OF WAR, 

IN RESPONSE TO A SENATE RESOLUTION OF MARCH 10, 1920, RE- 
QUESTING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE DISPOSAL AND 
PROTECTION OF THE REMAINS OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO 
DIED IN FRANCE. 



.RCH 11 (calendar ilay, March 13), 1920. — Referred to the Committee on Military 
Affairs and ordered to be printed . 



War Department, 

Washington, March 12, 1920. 

vSir: I have the honor to transmit to you, in response to resohition 
of the Senate of the United States dated" March 10, 1920, the informa- 
lion requested concerning the disposal and protection of the remains 
iif American soldiers who have died in France and what amount or 
amounts of money have heen estimated to be necessary in the accom- 
plishment of that result. 

There are tlu-ee distinct projects of removal which have had to be 
onsidered, owing to the fact that the consent of foreign Govern- 
ments has been and is being progressively secured^ and no authoriza- 
tion has 3-et been received for the disposition of the entire list of 
American dead overseas. 

The first project involves removals from all countries outside of 
I' ranee, and orders were given by this office to immediately under- 
uke the same. Under tliis order removals have been made from 
Siberia; 111 bodies have been removed from the Archangel district 
in North Russia, the work having been suspended before its comple- 
tion because of disturbance in that country which made further work 
it this time impossible. One hundred and eleven bodies still remain 
m North Russia, and it is probable that nothmg can be done toward 
their removal for a period of one year, or such time as conditions in 
Russia shall become more normal. 

The evacuation of Germany is to be undertaken at once, the officer 
in charge of the zone of mid-Europe having completed plans therefor. 

In Great Britain there are 92 places in which oiu' dead are interred. 
Evacuations are now taking place in the southern part of that zone. 
Eighteen bodies have been returned from several cemeteries iii south 
England, and advices are immediately expected as to the shipment 
of a much larger consignment from other cemeteries in that area. 



2 DISPOSAL AND PROTECTION OF REMAINS OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS. 

In Itah' all bodies have been concentrated in one place, and the q ^ 
matter of their transfer to the States will be easily effected. 

The second project of removal, for which authority was subse- 
quently obtained, involves the French zone of the interior, including 
all the base and intermediate sections back of the battle area. It 
was first intended to begin work at Paris, the cemet(>ry at Suresnes, a 
suburb of that city, having been recommended as a permanent ceme- 
tery, so that as other cemeteries are closed it might be possible to 
remove bodies that are to remain in France to Suresnes for permanent 
interment, but the congestion of French railways has been such that 
it has thus far been impossible to obtain transportation inland, and 
the necessary caskets and personnel have been transferred to Brest, 
where the latter is now operating, with the expectation that we shall 
very early receive advices of the shipment of botlies from that region. 
Should the railway congestion continue thereafter, it will be the 
policy to shift operations to other ports and operate in such ceme- 
teries as may be contiguous thereto, where motor transportation may 
be utilized for the shorter distance involved in getting bodies to the 
port of shipment, to which ocean transportation can be diverted as 
required. 

The third jiroject of removal will become opei'ative so soon as the 
Government of France shall have agreed to recommendations relative 
to evacuation From the zone of the armies, which are to l)e submitted 
by an international council appointed for the comprehensive study of 
the question affecting allied dead interred within that zone. So far 
as the xVmerican Governmeut is concerned, nothing can be done rela- 
tive to this phase of the question until conclusions have been reached 
by the French Government itself. 

Tlie general .work of removals to the United States involves in brief 
the following preparatory action: 

The small force of the graves registration service left in France 
after the work of demobilization was slightly increased so as to pro- 
vide sufficient ofiicial and civilian personnel to attend to the work of 
])erfecting and maintaining our cemeteries, which had been pre- 
viously I'educed by concentration in numl)er from 2,400 to about 600. 
The force already there has since been augmented by the dispatch of 
about 1.5 additional officers and upward of 260 graduated personnel 
of directive capacity, and the officer in charge has been given full 
authority to employ all necessary labor for the prosecution of his 
work. Further personnel of graduated character will be sent so soon 
as requisitiotis are made by the ofhcer in charge in Kuroi)e. Pre])a- 
rations have already been made for the execution of this plan. 

Seventeen thousanil caskets have already been purchased, but the 
shortage of materials for manufacture has caused vexatious delay in 
their delivery. In addition to those already shipped to Furo])e 3,000 
will be forwarded during the month of March and .5.000 during April 
and each month thereafter until the contract is completed. Antici- 
])ating the possi})ility of French consent to the evacuation of the bat- 
tle areas designated as the zone of the armies, the Quartermaster 
General has been making an exhaustive study of the sources of ])ro- 
curement, with a view to placing an order, at t e earliest possible 
date, for the necessary number of caskets to complete the entire work 
of removing all bodies in Europe from the places where they are now 
interred and transferring the same either to their homes or to such 

APa "8 "192(3 




O DISPOSAL AND PROTECTION OF REMAINS OP AMERICAN SOLDIERS. 3 

place as may ultimately be selected, in addition to Sm-(«nes, for a 
permanent cemetery in France. 

Motor transportation has been secured from a variety of sources 
to meet the entire requisitions for the same b\- the officer in charge 
in Europe, and ample requisitions have been' prepared for further 
procurement from existing suj)plies to be filled so soon as advices, 
are received from him as to athhtiona] needs and points of (k'sired 
delivery. 

The gi-achnited personnel referred to abo\-e includes qualified 
embalmers, who are to supervise sanitary arrangements and insurer 
the most approv(Ml professional preparation of bodies for return to 
their homes. 

The personal requests from relatives indicate that practically 70 
per cent of the dead are to be returned to their homes (about 50,000 
in all), and with about 20,000 or 25,000 to remain permanentlv 
interred abroad. 

An estimate of the probabU' cost of this project can be only tenta- 
tive at this time, but it is likely to involve a minimum expense of 
-5500 in each case where a body is to be returned to the home of the 
next of kin, and probably .1'!200 or S250 in connection with the perma- 
nent interment in a field of honor abroad. It is believed that a 
minimum appropriation of .1.30,000,000 will be required for the com- 
pletion of the work. The sundry civil bill for the current vear 
contains an appropriation of .$8,451,000, at least $6,000,000 having 
■' been already required for existing projects, contracts, and the above- 
mentionetl provision for additional caskets for the zone of the armies. 
It is requested that the amount approj)riated in the sundry civil bill 
for the current year may l)e made a continuing appropriation and 
that there mav be added thereto a further appropriation to cover 
the balance of "the $30,000,000 herein suggested. 

Division of territory. — Three zones have been created in Europe. 
First, the zone of Great Britain with headquarters at London, com- 
prising three sections, with l)oundarv lines riuining from east to west. 
Second, the zone of Mid-Europe, comprising all the continental 
countries outside of France and having headcpiarters at Cochem. 
Third, the zcMie of France. This zone practically covers two large 
areas, one of which involves the extensive work of cemeterial main- 
tenance at the north, and the other covers the area of evacuations, 
which are immediately to be made from the rear section. The 
central office of the zone of France is in Paris, and Col. Rethers, the 
officer in charge in that country, is employing there a sufficient 
clerical force for the disjiatch of business. 

The chief of the Graves Registration Service is at the head of a 
new division of tlie Quartermaster General's office, and is directing 
a large clerical force, which is engaged in the work of reconciling 
confficting reports, completing identifications which have hitherto 
been in doubt, and working out from the great mass of diverse and 
even confficting requests from relatives the necessary data upon 
which the return of bodies may be effected. 
Respectfully, yours, 

Newton D. Baker, 

Secretary of War. 

The President of the Senate, 

Washington, D. C. 

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